Saxby Chambliss retirement triggers scramble for seat

Democrats, who face a tough map nationally and have a handful of red-state Senate Democrats who will defend their seats in 2014, welcomed the news of Chambliss’s retirement as another chance to expand their chances at holding the Senate.

On the Democratic side, the two names most often mentioned are Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Rep. John Barrow. Barrow, however, said Friday that he’s not making plans to run for the seat.

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“At this time, I have no plans to run for anything else than reelection in the 12th District,” he said in a statement, “but I am certainly gratified that people have been suggesting I run for the Senate.”

Some prominent Democrats in Georgia have also raised the possibility of recruiting Keith Mason, a Clinton White House alum and former chief of staff to Gov. Zell Miller.

Georgia Democratic Party Chairman Mike Berlon said the state party has been in touch with national Democrats Friday about recruitment efforts and expects a shortlist of potential candidates within a few weeks.

“We’re excited about the prospects of running for an open senate seat,” he said. “We have felt for some time that the senator would probably not run for reelection.”

Georgia has long been a red state, but changing demographics and a growing minority population in the Atlanta area give Democrats hope at making inroads there in 2014.

“Georgia will now offer Democrats one of our best pickup opportunities of the cycle,” said Guy Cecil, executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “There are already several reports of the potential for a divisive primary that will push Republicans to the extreme right. Regardless, there’s no question that the demographics of the state have changed and Democrats are gaining strength. This will be a top priority.”

Berlon said he’s “confident” that the state will be evenly split between Democrats and Republicans by 2014 and could turn blue in 2016.

Republicans, though, pointed out that Georgia went for Romney in November and will still be an uphill battle for any Democratic candidate.

Bennecke said Democrats’ hopes in the state are “overly optimistic.”

“I think for 2014 it’s still a large hill for any Democrat in a U.S. Senate election. … they have some barriers that they’re going to have to get through,” he said, citing the party’s smaller bench of potential candidates and the inherent fundraising disadvantages for Democrats in the state.

“What doesn’t change with today’s announcement is the reality that the Democrats have a very uphill battle to try wresting this seat from Republican hands. Georgia is a red state that rejected President Obama and his liberal agenda by almost 10 points last November,” Moran said in a statement Friday morning. “While we take no race for granted, I look forward to the debate between a Republican candidate who believes in reining in wasteful Washington spending, growing jobs and protecting the Second Amendment, versus a liberal Democrat who will be a loyal rubber-stamp for President Obama in Washington.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story had the wrong first name of Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.)